They’re the Lost Boys of heavy music, standing with their back to the alley as the cigarette smoke drifts upwards from their lips and the streetlight glints off their aviators. They are cool incarnate. Their debut album Mana (released under the previous moniker of Idle Hands) was about a massive a statement as one band can make. Every single track on that album pulsed with the dark danger of gothic nightlife, with melodies stickier than rice at a vampire sushi bar. Front man and guitarist Gabriel Franco immediately made a name for himself with his crooning baritone and his sharp yarls of anger, which punctuated nearly every song. The metal world has been waiting to hear their next move, and now on Roadrunner Records, the band’s second album Strength aims to hit listeners in their dark hearts once again.
And for the most part, it succeeds nearly as well as Mana. But the double edged sword of Unto Others is that they’re a bit like eating a favorite meal every day of the week. The ingredients that make up the delicious dish are easily identifiable and always tasty, but the same meal can get a start to get a bit old if it’s not spiced up a bit, and though each and every song on Strength is really solid, there are moments where things get a bit stale after two records of a very signature sound. But the band gets off to a wicked start. “Heroin” is fast, dark, gritty, grungy and a heart pumper of a track featuring all the best of Franco’s vocal angst. Then begins the one-two punch of one of the strongest moments on the record. ‘Downtown’ has one of the best hooks on the record, and the guitars smolder like a smoky rock club. This is classic Unto Others, and the melody is as sharp as anything they’ve done. Ditto goes for ‘When Will God’s Work Be Done’, with its whip crack snare drum and thundering, rumbling bass. There’s no better words to describe this song than damn cool. Angry and cavernous, this track is example number one for why producer Arthur Rizk should be very future household name in metal production. Absolutely standout.
‘No Children Laughing Now’ showcases the band as masters of the metal clean tone, and every time Franco opens his mouth, this track really showcases how unique his voice really is, and each little vocal grunt and articulation is spellbinding and incredibly expressive. Not to mention the absolutely ripping solo here; simple and passionate. That passion is so palpable in every facet of this band, which only adds to the likability and power of each track. But from here on, things are a bit mixed. Tracks like ‘Why’ and ‘Destiny’ are solid and both have great guitar work, but the vocal melodies and rhythms blend in a bit more than the earlier tracks. On the other hand, tracks like ‘Little Bird’ and ‘Just A Matter Of Time’ establish themselves through their excellent vocal performances and satisfying resolutions. The former is yearning and aching, with Franco stretching himself to new limits, and the latter has an thrilling gallop on the solo that elevates it as one of the best on the record.
Then we reach the highlight of the back half of the record, the band’s excellent cover of Pat Benetar’s ‘Hell Is For Children’. This is a track that again, highlight’s Franco’s voice, but also puts the rest of the band on a pedestal as the unique tempo and cadence of this track spurs the hope that the band will tackle more tracks like this in the future. There is another tasty as hell solo as well from guitarist Sebastian Silva, which the band is proving to be excellent at writing. The album does taper off quite a it after this point, with the last three songs not bringing as much to the table as the rest of the tracks on the record, especially the first third. But make no mistake, these are all solid songs that could be highlights on another band’s record. That’s the level Unto Others is operating at.
It was said after Mana was released, but Unto Others is still a band to watch that has every possibility in front of them to become massive in this community. Strength is another punch thrown in the band’s fight to enter the minds of every type of rock and metal fan, and this record certainly has the possibility to cross all sorts of boundaries. The melodic ability of this band can stretch across the aisle not just across the metal world, but beyond it. There are moments that fade a bit into the background, but make no mistake, there certainly is no momentum lost on this record from this band, and at this point, it will only take one moment for Unto Others to skyrocket their way to arenas, guaranteed.